But here’s the problem. “Thinking outside the box” has become a massive cliche. And cliches, by definition, are unoriginal. They’re terrible at creating change. When we tell ourselves that we’re going to “think outside the box,” we rely on the same methods, the same brainstorming approaches, and consequently the same stale neural pathways. To come up with answers to this cliche, we look in the rear-view mirror and use the same worn-out methods or copy-the-competitor strategies. It’s no wonder that the resulting innovations aren’t innovations at all. They’re at best insignificant deviations from the status quo.

Conventional questions produce conventional results.

It’s only through unconventional questions — questions that others aren’t asking — that unconventional results can follow. Here are a few to get you started:

With these questions, the goal isn’t to find the right answer — at least not initially. This isn’t your high-school chemistry class where the outcome of each experiment was predetermined, leaving no room for curiosity or unexpected insights. If you didn’t get the “right result,” you’d be stuck in the lab fiddling with test tubes and beakers, while your classmates trekked off to the movies.

Rather, the goal is to ignite a process of open-minded inquiry that can jolt you out of your autopilot mode.

Instead of being a passive observer of your reality, you’ll become an active intervener in it.

And instead of simply thinking outside the box, you’ll be able to bend the box to your will.

Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author. Click here to download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook: 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, you’ll get the Weekly Contrarian — a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).